Amy L. Cocuzza Named Solicitor to the National Labor Relations Board

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) today announced the appointment of Amy L. Cocuzza as the new Solicitor. Ms. Cocuzza is now the chief legal advisor and consultant to the entire Board on all questions of law regarding the Board’s general operations and on major questions of law and policy concerning the adjudication of NLRB cases in the Courts of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. She also serves as the Board’s legal representative and liaison to the General Counsel and other offices of the Board.

Ms. Cocuzza brings to the Board more than two decades of experience in labor law, administrative law, and workplace relations. She began her legal career as an Honors Attorney for then-NLRB General Counsel Ronald Meisburg, gaining experience with various GC-side branches including Regional Advice, Appeals, and Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation, as well as the Region 5 Washington Resident Office. She went on to spend nearly a decade with the Division of Advice, rising from staff attorney to supervisory attorney before moving Board-side.

Most recently, Ms. Cocuzza was the Acting Chief of Staff to Board Chairman James R. Murphy. Prior to that, she served as Deputy Solicitor to former Solicitor Fred B. Jacob, who recently became Chief Counsel to Board Member David M. Prouty.

“With her years of experience at the NLRB and in the Solicitor’s Office, Amy will bring legal prowess, institutional wisdom, and diplomatic savvy to her new position as the Board’s Chief Legal Advisor,” said former Solicitor Fred Jacob.  “Amy is committed to the NLRB’s mission and the public we serve.  The Board is lucky to have her.”

Board Chairman James Murphy notes: “Former Solicitor Fred Jacob set a high standard for excellence in the performance of his duties in that office. We are very fortunate to have someone like Amy Cocuzza as a successor so worthy and qualified to uphold that standard.”

Board Member Dave Prouty remarked: “Amy Cocuzza is the right person at the right time to take on this tremendously important job at the Board. I look forward to relying on her wise counsel as “The Board’s Lawyer” for many years to come.”

Ms. Cocuzza received her B.S. in Human Biology from the University at Albany (SUNY), her Master of Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University, and her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform.  Prior to attending law school, Ms. Cocuzza spent several years organizing with labor unions in New York City, representing healthcare workers with 1199 SEIU and professional musicians with Local 802, American Federation of Musicians. She has also taught labor law at the Antonin Scalia Law School of George Mason University.